Traitors and Tyrants
by Australian Chaos
Summary: "Exile!" As Simba tolls Kovu never to return to the Pridelands, Nala analyses her mates behaviour, and comes to a rather frightening conclusion... My second One-shot with a Nala POV


**The Lion King**

**Traitors and Tyrants**

"Exile!"

Nala just stared at her mate, her jaw hanging in stunned silence as Simba sentenced Kovu, in no uncertain terms, to exile from the Pridelands...never to return under pain of death.

This in itself was not too surprising to the queen of the Pridelands...Kovu was from the Outlands, and as such was distrusted right from the start. His startling physical resemblance to Scar, Simba's uncle and the lion responsible for the death of Mufasa, Simba's beloved father, would always make it hard for Simba to accept him, even under the best of circumstances. She had attempted to get Simba to get to know Kovu better just last night, and Simba had actually made the attempt, but Nala realised something had gone horribly wrong when Simba had returned from a morning walk with Kovu alone, injured terribly, and mumbling something about Kovu, and an ambush. When Kovu had returned, sporting a scar across his left eye that further enhanced his resemblance to Simba's late uncle, and pleaded for Simba's forgiveness, Nala knew that her mate would be furious.

But what had really surprised Nala was the way that Simba was giving Kiara, his own daughter, a cold shoulder, refusing to even listen to her as she pleaded with her father to listen to her, obviously believing that Kovu was innocent of the betrayal Simba accused him of. She was trying to get her voice heard, obviously desperate to stop Kovu from being sent into exile, but Simba furiously silenced her, before handing down his judgement to Kovu.

"No!" Kiara's cry tore Nala from her thoughts, the anguish in her daughter's voice breaking her own heart as the lionesses of the pride slowly started advancing on Kovu, growling and hissing at him menacingly as the young lion back away fearfully, before turning and running, no doubt realising that he had no chance of staying here any longer...at least not if he wanted to live. With Kiara's one pained word, Nala could see that her daughter's heart was being torn in two by Simba's decision, and she seemed convinced that Kovu was no traitor in any way.

When she had seen Kiara and Kovu that night, she could tell that Kiara had fallen in love, even if her daughter did not yet realise it herself. Despite the rather pleasant memory, however, Nala's thoughts shot back to that same moment with a horrible sense of dread. _"Simba?" "I was seeking counsel from the Great Kings." _If Simba was so eager to look to his father for counsel, why would he refuse to listen to his own daughter, even when she was determined to let her voice be heard? Why was he so intent on judging Kovu before he had all the facts, going on his own prejudices and assumptions?

"No..." Kiara called once more, leaping from Nala's side, only to be held back as two lionesses, at a signal from Simba, blocked her way. "Kovu!" At her daughter's continued pleas for Kovu to come back, Nala looked to Simba. The fact that, despite his daughter's obvious sorrow and pain, he was continuing to ignore her, caused Nala to freeze, staring at her mate like she was seeing him for the first time. This was not the Simba she had bonded with...the Simba she knew was kind, loyal, and more open-minded than this. Now, he was cold, bordering on heartlessness, and refusing to listen to anyone else's point of view.

As Nala realised this, her view changed. Suddenly the Pridelands were bleak, barren and dead, the rivers dry and the trees rotting away, the lionesses around her were thin, the early signs of a lack of food starting to settle in. Hyenas ran around Pride Rock, variously bullying and tormenting the lionesses of the pride, who were helpless to stop them. And there, in Simba's place, sitting at the tip of Pride Rock's promontory, was Scar, his black mane billowing in the breeze as he sat there...tall, proud, and completely self-assured.

Slowly, the vision faded, the Pridelands returning to their lush, green state as Scar's visage transformed back into the copper-maned lion she loved so much. But what scared Nala was Simba's stance. It matched Scar's perfectly, right down to the hard, unforgiving frown adorning the king's muzzle. It terrified her to the very core for one simple reason...

...it meant that Simba, despite everything, was turning into the tyrant Scar had been. He was becoming what he had vowed to destroy.

And for what? Exactly what was Simba trying to accomplish by doing this? Nala knew that he was turning Kovu away to protect Kiara from what he perceived to be a threat to her...but even a few of the other lionesses could see that Kovu's exile was distressing the young princess immensely, and yet Simba remained blind to it, even as Kiara slipped passed the two lionesses blocking her progress, only to be blocked by two more, Simba ignoring the whole spectacle as he watched Kovu sprint off into the distance, fleeing the Pridelands...although Nala got the feeling that the young lion was looking back every step of the way.

Finally, as Kovu faded into the distance, Kiara stepped forward, coming up beside her father. "Father, please reconsider!" Nala could hear her daughter's voice, literally begging for Simba to listen to her, and the queen knew, without a doubt, that Kiara did not believe that Kovu had betrayed them, betrayed her.

And Nala, despite everything, was inclined to side with Kiara. She had seen Kiara and Kovu last night, seen how close the two had gotten, and Kovu certainly did not look like a lion that would willingly betray Kiara...although he did look like something was troubling him.

"You will not go anywhere without an escort from now on!" Simba's cold, toneless response to Kiara's plea just further proved, in Nala's mind, that this was not the Simba she had taken as her mate. Not only was he completely dismissing Kiara's plea out of paw, he was also blatantly avoiding the subject of Kovu.

But Nala knew her daughter, and knew that she would never let it go at that. She was not disappointed. "No, that's not - !"

"He used you to get to me!" Simba's declaration shocked Nala even further. He truly believed this was about him, and his status as king of Pride Rock. Simba's selfish attitude was convincing Nala more and more that her mate was turning into another Scar...but she was too stunned to do anything, as she prayed that Kiara would knock some sense into Simba.

"No!" Kiara cried, fighting on despite her father's blind conviction, her own stubbornness clashing with Simba's in a contest of wills...one Nala silently hoped Kiara would win. "He loves me...for me!"

But as Nala watched the fiery argument unfold, she could see the look of blind anger on Simba's face, and knew that he was never going to listen to reason right now. "Because you are _my_ daughter, you will not leave Pride Rock!" Even in Simba's current state, that statement would be considered cold and cruel. In one cruel blow, he was separating his daughter from her love, grounding her indefinitely, despite the fact that she had nearly reached full maturity, and somehow making this whole issue about him.

_I don't know him any more..._ Nala thought sadly, as Simba's rant continued on. "You will stay where I can keep on you..._away_ from _him_!"

Nala saw Kiara shy away from her father at his enraged expression and harsh words, and for a brief moment Nala was afraid she was going to give in. But then she saw her daughter's expression grow annoyed as well, and knew her daughter still had some fight left in her.

"You don't know him!" Despite Kiara's stubbornness, Nala could hear her voice wavering. Kiara was clearly upset, and it pained Nala to see her this way. _Please,_ she silently begged, hoping Simba could hear her. _Please, listen to your daughter._

But Nala's pleas were not answered, as Simba turned away from Kiara, heading back to the tip of the promontory, looking out towards the Outlands. "I know he's following in Scar's paw-prints," he said sternly, before his anger seemed to shrink right before everyone's eyes, his normally proud stance wavering slightly. Nala could read that look perfectly, and knew exactly what Simba was going to say next. "And I must follow in my father's."

Nala sighed. Nala could tell by Simba's words that the king was doing what he thought was best. But as she looked up, she cringed at the thought of Mufasa looking down at them right now, seeing what his son had become in recent days. If Simba was trying to follow in his father's paw-prints, then Nala knew that her mate was failing badly at his task.

"You will never be Mufasa!"

Kiara's heated declaration left everyone, including Nala, stunned. Whatever she had expected her daughter to say in that moment, that definitely was not it. But even as Kiara's words started to sink in, Nala could tell that, in that moment, her daughter had won the battle of wills over Simba. The look on the king's face said said it all as Kiara, having finally had enough of Simba's stubborn refusal to listen to her, turning, sobbing, and ran for Pride Rock's den, Nala watching her go with a horrified look. The rest of the pride also watched as Kiara was lost to the darkness of the den, before dispersing, obviously intending on giving the princess some private time to calm down.

But as Nala contemplated whether she should go and comfort her daughter, hearing her as she quietly wept, her aqua eyes turned to focus on Simba once more. Her stunned sadness for her daughter gave way as she saw her mate, still standing on the promontory, his gaze still fixed out over his land, even if his stance was slouched. He had just driven his daughter to tears, and yet was _still_ refusing to listen to her...or even make a move to comfort her!

Nala's face hardened as she stalked up the promontory, her gaze hard and determined. Simba was still convinced he had done the right thing, she could tell...but she could also tell that his confidence was wavering. Kiara had broken his resolve down, and it was time for her to step in and deliver the final blow. Simba was refusing to see reason, and Nala knew he had to be stopped before he did something that drove Kiara away from them permanently.

"Simba!" Usually, when Nala called her mate, her voice was gentle and loving. But this was not the Simba she knew, and as such, she was going to treat him differently, as her own stubbornness and temper came to bear on her mate. Her voice was hard...almost cold, and laced with anger.

Simba turned at Nala's call, only for Nala to lunge at him, shoving him roughly, throwing him onto his back, pinning him down like she always did, her hard expression not wavering at the mild, confused fear in Simba's gaze. "Just who do you think you are?" she shouted, not bothering to check if any of the other lionesses were around...part of her actually wanted this to be seen, wanted Simba to feel humiliated for his actions.

Simba wriggled uncomfortably underneath Nala, who was not being gentle as she held him down, but otherwise made no response to her demand. "What happened to the Simba I knew? The Simba who stopped Scar? You just brought your daughter..._our_ daughter...to tears! Can't you see how much she loves him?"

"Nala..." Simba finally found his voice, and despite his rather vulnerable position underneath his mate, it was still stern and argumentative, still convinced he was in the right. "Kovu betrayed us. He - "

"That is not the point!" Nala roared, giving Simba a hard shove. "Did you ask Kiara what she knew about Kovu before you made your choice? Did you even give Kovu a chance to tell his side of the story? No!" At this point, Nala's expression became even colder, and she felt a mild sense of satisfaction to note that Simba actually seemed to be afraid of her right now. "You exiled him based on your own views and prejudices. You say Kovu is following in Scar's paw-prints...I had to live with Scar as I grew up!"

At this point, Nala lowered his muzzle, so that she was almost nose-to-nose to with her mate, although a gentle, loving nuzzle was the last thing on her mind right now. "Kiara was right...you will never be Mufasa, Simba. Right now, you're acting more like Scar than Kovu ever has since he saved Kiara! Some job you're doing of following in Mufasa's paw-prints!"

At the look of total horror on Simba's face, Nala knew that she had made her point. Her mate had at least listened to some sense of reason, and Nala could almost see his mind starting to put things together behind his amber eyes...she had gotten her point across very effectively.

Snorting, still angry at her mate, she gave him one last shove as she got off him, leaving him free to get back up as she turned around, intending on finding a quiet place near Pride Rock where she could cool off. "I suggest you think about what you've done today, Simba. Because if you're not careful, you could lose you daughter...forever. And if that happens, I will never, ever forgive you."

Little did Nala know, as she parted from her mate with those cold words, just how close she was to the truth...that, as the storm clouds started to roll in from the horizon, that their daughter had already managed to sneak away from Pride Rock, and was already on her way out of the Pridelands, searching for her love...that her own father had stolen from her.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

My second Lion King one-shot reaches it's end...and I do hope you all enjoyed it! I've been debating on and off whether to make this scene from the film into a one-shot for some time, and when I finally gave in and started, it all sort of flowed out. It took a few hours longer to get done than "Murderers and Kings", but I'm fairly happy with the result, all the same, so here's to you.

I guess I'd better give a shout-out to the anonymous reviewer "Nala-Nay" who requested a Nala-centric, Simba's Pride one-shot from me when they reviewed on M&K. I hope this answers your request to your satisfaction, if you ever read it!

As for Lost Rogue...as I've said, my inspiration to write that comes in bits and pieces these days...but I do hope to have Chapter 17 out in the next couple of weeks. Sadly, I can't promise anything, though.


End file.
